God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper

Did you know that you can complete your freshman year of college through The Bethlehem Institute (TBI) at Bethlehem Baptist Church?

TBI, in conjunction with Northwestern College in St. Paul, offers an accredited, one-year undergraduate program designed for the freshman or sophomore year of college. It’s called INSIGHT, and it’s not your typical college experience.

The classes are small.

For starters, we keep the class sizes limited, around 16 students per instructor (instead of those mammoth introductory courses at most colleges).

The price is small, too.

For 2008-2009, the tuition was only $9500 for 32 hours of credit (compared to the national average of $25,143 for private college tuition). And if you apply and are accepted before June 1, we'll help you find affordable housing with other students near Bethlehem Baptist’s downtown campus.

The teachers are many.

Besides learning from their regular instructors, during the year students will learn from over 40 scholars, pastors, and missionaries, all of them accomplished in their fields.

The coursework is integrated.

Rather than taking separate courses on anthropology, Bible, history, missions, and world religions, all of these subjects (and more!) are integrated into one comprehensive course of study. Students will see the connections between Darwin and Moses, between Confucius and Solomon, between Athens and Jerusalem, between Genesis 1 and taking out the trash (no, really—there’s a connection).

We take a chronological approach, beginning with creation and moving through to the present day, exploring God’s mission in history and how various religions, philosophies, and worldviews have left their mark on the world.

The program is church-based.

We don’t just want to instruct the mind of our students; we also want to engage their hearts and shape their lives. Thus, the classes don’t just take place at the church building; the entire program is woven into the life of Bethlehem Baptist.

Along with coursework, the program includes mentorship by Bethlehem members, field trips to mosques, synagogues, and temples, and ministry opportunities in the most diverse neighborhood in the country.

In the end, our goal is simple: to provide a unique, God-centered, life-transforming, economical, one-year, undergraduate experience.

John Piper explains,

What we have seen, and what we would like to teach, is a God-entranced vision of reality that will make all other study and all the rest of life, deeper, richer, and more in sync with God’s ultimate purposes for your life.

For more information, visit our website, or contact us at info@thebethleheminstitute.org.